Certain firearms, such as the M4, M16, SR-25, AR-10 and AR-15 weapons are fired using gas operation. The act of firing the weapon subjects certain operating mechanisms to the build up of residue due to exposure to the operating gases of the weapon. As a result, carbon residue accumulates on and around the operating mechanisms, such as the bolt and bolt carrier. Over time, the residue becomes detrimental to operational firing of the weapon. Therefore, it is important to keep operating mechanisms which are prone to residue build up clean, and to periodically remove the residue therefrom.
One of the most residue prone areas of a firearm includes the bolt and bolt carrier. However, the contours of the bolt and bolt carrier create unique difficulties in proper and complete cleaning of the relevant surfaces. Further, once the carbon residue is adhered to a surface it is difficult to remove. In view of these problems, certain tools have been improvised and developed to aid the user in cleaning a firearm, particularly the bolt and bolt carrier.
Known cleaning tools include brushes, dental tools, screwdrivers, and solvents. Use of these types of tools is ineffective at best, and sometimes damaging to the weapon. Other known tools used to remove carbon residue from the bolt and bolt carrier include those sold by NCStar, Brownells, ADCO Firearms, and AR15.com, for example. While these tools may improve the manner of carbon removal from the bolt carrier, none of them adequately addresses removal of carbon from both the bolt tail and the bolt carrier in a single tool.